WILLIAM IV. A SAILOR KING
The marine tendency of George IV was inherited by his brother William
IV, who was known as the Sailor King on account of his readiness to
create any number of piers at moments of political crisis. Apart from
this, however, William IV would not have succeeded in being memorable
at all except for his awkward and uncalled-for irruption into the
Georgian succession.
ROTTEN BURROWS
During this reign the Great Reform Bill was passed on account of the
Rotten Burrows: this was because the Old Landlords said that new
places like Manchester were rotten burrows and shouldn’t have votes. A
great deal of confusion was caused by these rotten burrows which were
undermining the Constitution, but eventually Lord Grey invented the
Great Reform Bill which laid down clearly who had votes and who hadn’t.
REFORM BILL
This Bill had two important clauses, which said:
(1) that some of the Burrows were rotten and that the people who
lived in them should not be allowed either to stand or to have
seats.
(2) that “householders leaseholders and copyholders who had £10 in
the towns or freeholders who paid 40/- in the country for 10 years
or leaseholders (in the country) and copyholders for 21 years in
the towns (paying a rent of £50) should in some cases (in the
towns) have a vote (for 1 year) but in others for 41 years (in the
country) paying a leasehold or copyhold of £10 should not.”
When this unforgettable Law was made known there was great rejoicing
and bonfires were lit all over the country.
LATER REFORM BILLS
Later in the century, other Reform Bills were passed, such as
Gladstone’s Reform Bill which added householders (in the country) for
one year to freeholders and kettleholders worth £10 a year, and gave
a vote to anyone who lived in lodgings (for 21 years) or spent £10 in
the Post Office. And there was also Disraeli’s Reform Bill, which gave
the vote to any lodger who paid £10 and lodged in the same lodgings
for one year. This, however, was naturally thought very rash and was
quite rightly characterized by the penetrating Lord Salisbury, in a
brilliant phrase, as “A Sleep in the Dark.” The Reform Bills were a
Good Thing except for a few Old Landlords who were deprived of their
seats. Nowadays Flappers are allowed to vote and men have to put up
with this even if they live in the same lodgings all their lives. This
is a Bad Thing and is called Manhold Suffrage.